Timeline

Notes:

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It is believed that Edward inherited his father's properties and his own further transactions were recorded in the Rother Manor Court Rolls from his father's death in 1676 until his own death, which was recorded at a Court held on 14 April 1737. He also inherited the tenancy of Philip Alchorne's house. Edward was described in his son Robert's will as 'yeoman and clocksmith' although no further evidence of the latter trade exists. In 1698 Edward served as Churchwarden at St. Denys in Rotherfield. In 1705 he was described as a 'freeholder of Rotherfield', when on 24 May of that year he cast his vote at Lewes in a Poll for the Election of Members of Parliament for the County of Sussex. In 1717 Edward was ordered by the Quarter Sessions Court to pay for and maintain his granddaughter, Elizabeth's keep. His will was dated 7 June 1723 and proved at Lewes 13 August 1736. In his will he divides his properties among his sons and provides for his wife Elizabeth. 2/8/2012 viewed the will at Lewes Records Office on microfiche, reference 1736(year), A55(microfilm number), p104(on microfilm), 47(will number). His son Alexander was the sole executor. The following information was taken from a website about the Muddle families, the clockmakers of Rotherfield. What might well be the first mention of a clock in Sussex was in the will of William Alchorne, who was a blacksmith at Rotherfield. William had made his will on 19 March 1580, a few weeks before his death, and in this will he states that My will is that my clock in my shop shall stand and continue there forever. Nothing more is known about this clock so we don%2525252592t know what sort of clock it was or who had made it, but as William was a blacksmith and it is known that blacksmiths did try their hand at making clocks it seems quite likely that William had made this clock.%252525250D%252525250AThe place where William lived and had his blacksmith%2525252592s forge was probably the ancient property now called Town Hill House that stands across the road from Rotherfield Parish Church. This property passed from William to his son Anthony, then to Anthonys son Philip, then to Philips son Philip Alchorne. It seems that the house was then divided into two and separated from the workshop and forge. In 1649 the north-east section of this house was sold to Robert Dadswell and on Roberts death in 1676 it was inherited by his son this Edward Dadswell, who was a yeoman farmer at Rotherfield. Then in 1680 Edward Dadswell sold it to Thomas Muddle, who was a blacksmith and worked at adjacent forge now owned by Abraham Alchorne, and where William Alchorne had once set up his clock.So it seems that a century after William Alchorne had set up and possibly made his clock the same forge was now being used by Thomas Muddle to again make clocks. On the death of Thomas Muddle in 1688 clock making at Rotherfield passed to his son Thomas, who, though only 16 years old when his father died, ended up working at the same forge and making clocks there. The second wife of this Thomas was Mary Dadswell, who was the daughter of this Edward Dadswell, who had sold the house on Town Hill to the father of this Thomas back in 1680.It is thought that the Thomas Muddle, born 1671 died 1756, probably passed on his clock making skills to the other two Rotherfield families that became clockmakers, by taking as apprentices William Hoadley, whose birth had been commemorated by the clock made by the first Thomas Muddle, and Thomas Dadswell(born 1688 died 1752), who was his wife Mary's brother(and son of Edward and Elizabeth). This second Thomas Muddle had three sons and he passed on his clock making skills to all of them. His eldest son, yet another Thomas Muddle, born 1707 died 1785, became a clockmaker at Tunbridge Wells. His second son, Edward Muddle, born 1709 died 1788, became a clockmaker at Chatham. His third son, Nicholas Muddle, born 1716 died 1807, became a clockmaker at Lindfield and then Tonbridge. And it was with the death of Nicholas that clock making died out in the Muddle family as none of the next generation took up this occupation. Clock making in the Dadswell family started with Thomas Dadswell, born 1688 died 1752, who was probably an apprentice of his brother-in-law Thomas Muddle, clockmaker at Rotherfield. After completing his apprenticeship, probably in 1709, when he was 21, he set up his own clock making business at Burwash where he was recorded as taking his nephew Thomas Dadswell, son of his brother Edward, as an apprentice in 1735, and it is thought that he also took his nephew John Dadswell, son of his brother Alexander, as an apprentice in about 1740. This nephew, John Dadswell, born 1727 died 1789, took over his uncles clock making business at Burwash after his uncles death in 1752 and continued as a clockmaker there until his own death in 1789. Thomas Dadswell, born 1719 died 1769, who had been an apprentice to his uncle Thomas Dadswell, clockmaker at Burwash, then became a clockmaker at Rotherfield from about 1742 and then at East Grinstead from about 1757. Thomas would have been passing on his clock making skills to his two eldest sons, Thomas and Edward, when he died in 1769. His eldest son, Thomas Dadswell born 1749 died 1794, probably then took over the clock making business at East Grinstead and may have continued the training of his younger brother Edward. This Thomas continued to work as a clockmaker at East Grinstead until his death in 1794. The other son, Edward Dadswell, born 1754 died 1802, may have completed his apprenticeship working for his elder brother at East Grinstead but it seems more likely he completed his apprenticeship working for his fathers cousin John Dadswell at Burwash, and then in about 1783 he set up his own clock making business at Eastbourne until his death in 1802 brought to an end this Dadswell familys association with clock making.

Photos:

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Edward Dadswell - 1659-06-06

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